Astros Countdown: Top Five AL West Threats in 2017

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Jun 5, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros catcher Evan Gattis (11) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sonny Gray (54) in the sixth inning at Minute Maid Park. Astros won 5 to 2. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports /

Through 48 games, the Houston Astros own the best record in baseball, becoming the first team to 30 wins with a record of 32-16.

A lot of the early success has come from success against opponents in the American League West. Eight games ahead of the second-place Texas Rangers, the Astros have won 17 of 23 games against division opponents this season.

However, the Astros are nearing the month of June in which 19 of 27 games will be against members of the AL West. With that, here are the top five players that Astros fans should watch out for in those critical matchups.

Here comes the inevitable Sonny Gray-to-Astros rumors

Sonny Gray

Once a proven ace for the Oakland A’s, Sonny Gray struggled a bit with consistency in 2016. In 22 starts, he finished with a 5.69 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP with only 94 strikeouts in 117 innings of work. His home run to fly ball percentage was at an all time high, with a whopping 17.5 percent of all fly balls leaving the yard.

However, despite his lack of success overall, Gray was very good in his only start against the Astros last season. On June 5^th, Gray gave up one earned run, a Carlos Gomez solo shot, on five hits and one walk, striking out five in five innings of work.

Return to form?

Gray seems to be becoming his former self on the mound in 2017. Through five starts, he has a 3.34 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP and a .216 opposing batting average. Also, his strikeout numbers are back up, with 28 strikeouts in 29.2 innings of work, striking out 23.3 percent of all batters faced, his highest since 2013.

Gray’s last start against the Miami Marlins was his best start in a very long time. He gave up one earned run on three hits and one walk, striking out 11 in seven innings of work.

His success, especially in his last four starts, has been the lack of balls leaving the ballpark. In his first start of the season against the Minnesota Twins, Gray had three of his five total hits given up leave the yard. Since that start, he has only given up one home run in his last 23.2 innings pitched. This will be difficult for a home run-happy Astros offense, which is tied with the A’s in second place in the AL with 68.

Although he has not pitched against them in 2017, Gray has pitched himself back into consideration of being a threat to the Astros offense.

Odor

Astros fans do not like the Texas Rangers. Second baseman Rougned Odor is one of the main reasons why.

2017 has not really gone as planned for Odor. Through 48 games, he is hitting .207 with a .610 OPS. He is tied for third on the team with Elvis Andrus with six home runs and sixth with 19 RBIs.

His slump has shown in his numbers against the Astros in 2017. Odor has only three hits in 15 at bats this season with five strikeouts. However, that is when the power starts to show. Two of his three hits against the Astros have been for extra bases, a double against Charlie Morton and a home run against Joe Musgrove.

The threat of Odor heading into the month of June is mostly based on power potential. In his breakout season in 2016, he hit 33 home runs, driving in 88 RBIs with a .271 batting average and a .798 OPS.

Odor’s numbers against the Astros in 2016 were very good. In 74 at-bats, he hit .311 with a .973 OPS. The majority of his hits, 13 of 23, went for extra bases, including six home runs. Three of those six home runs came off Collin McHugh, Mike Fiers, and James Hoyt, all three currently still on the Astros roster.

How do Astros pitchers attack Odor? He strikes out 20.4 percent of the time. However, if he makes contact on the ball, especially against the Astros, it most likely means trouble.

Yu Darvish

Ever since he entered the league in 2012, Yu Darvish has been giving opposing hitters fits as the ace of the Texas Rangers starting rotation. After struggling with injury in 2016, Darvish is back.

Through 10 starts this season, Darvish has a 2.83 ERA with a 1.15 WHIP. With a .204 batting average against, his lowest since 2013, Darvish is No. 11 in baseball with 68 strikeouts in 63.2 innings pitched.

With a six-pitch repertoire, Darvish relies on a four-seam fastball that averages 94.4 mph, a career high, an 82.5 mph curveball, and a high-eighties cutter. That combination is thrown 80.5 percent of the time.

That was the combination that the Astros took advantage of in his last start against them. On September 4^th, Darvish gave up five earned runs on seven hits, including a George Springer home run, and three walks, striking out four in four innings of work.

Overall in 2016, the Astros hit only .242 against Darvish. More importantly, of the 15 hits he gave up, only five of them went for extra bases. The Astros posted a .387 slugging percentage against the Rangers ace.

In 2016, batters currently on the Astros roster only recorded 12 hits in 47 at-bats, with only four extra-base hits, including two home runs from Springer.

No matter what kind of numbers he may be putting up, Darvish will always be a tough opponent for any team in the AL West, especially the Astros. With six games against the Rangers in June, including the first weekend, the Astros need to be ready for Darvish.

James Paxton

If there were one pitcher that the Astros would choose not to face for the rest of 2017, Seattle Mariners left-hander James Paxton would have to be near the top of the list.

In two straight starts against the Astros to start the 2017 season, Paxton threw 13 innings of shutout baseball, giving up only six hits and three walks while striking out 13. The Astros are only hitting .130 with a .358 OPS against Paxton this season.

The Astros are not the only one in this predicament though. In six starts, Paxton has a 3-0 record with a 1.43 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. With a .190 batting average against, he has struck out 45 batters in 37.2 innings.

Paxton’s ERA should be much lower. He struggled against the Oakland A’s on April 20^th, giving up five runs on nine hits in 4.1 innings of work. In his other five starts, he only has given up one earned run.

Paxton’s been MIA.

Unfortunately for Paxton, he has not been able to pitch as of late. He is currently on the 10-day disabled list with a forearm injury. However, according to Bob Dutton from The News Tribune, Paxton is slated to begin his rehab assignment on Friday at Double-A Arkansas. If that one start goes well, he will be ready to pitch in the opening series of June against Colorado.

The Astros’ next series against the Mariners will be a weekend series near the end of June. Astros fans should hope that Paxton’s turn in the rotation does not fall that weekend.

Mike Trout

What else can be said about Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout? He is the best player in baseball, and he has been very, very good against the Houston Astros.

In 18 at-bats, Trout is hitting .389 with a 1.061 OPS against the Astros with a home run, against Chris Devenski, and three RBIs.

However, that is just a small sample size of what Trout has been doing to the league this season. In 44 games, Trout is No. 4 in baseball with a .344 batting average, tied for first with New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge with 15 home runs and first in baseball with a 1.214 OPS. Those are video game-like numbers.

Trout above the rest?

The former AL MVP has been good against the Astros for a while. Last season, he only hit .258 with a .923 OPS against Houston. However, like Odor, Trout loves to hit for extra bases against the Astros. Nine of his 16 hits last year were for extra bases including two home runs against Dallas Keuchel and Collin McHugh respectively. He also loves to drive in runs, scoring himself 12 times and driving in 10 RBIs against the Astros last season.

If there were one thing for the Astros in a matchup against Trout, it would be his strikeout numbers. With over 125 strikeouts in each of his last five seasons, Trout has struck out over 20 percent of the time in the last four seasons including 20.2 percent this season.

Next: Astros: Collin McHugh's Impact on the Trade Deadline

That is nitpicking with a guy as talented as Trout is. If the Astros can get Trout to struggle against them, that will most likely lead to success against the Angels. Good luck with that though.

***Stats provided by ESPN.com, MLB.com, and FanGraphs***

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